If your cat or dog suddenly starts to press its head compulsively against a wall, it’s not because it wants to play hide-and-seek with you. This behavior is known as head pressing and indicates a serious health problem that shouldn’t be ignored.

When pets press their heads against a wall, they’re often trying to soothe a severe headache or are very confused. In fact, this behavior may indicate that your pet is suffering from a brain tumor, encephalitis, or a stroke.

Your pet may also behave this way if it has a liver problem or sodium imbalance. Alternatively, your pet may have taken a blow to the head or been exposed to a toxic substance.

One thing is certain. Head pressing requires prompt intervention. If in doubt, consult your local veterinarian.

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Bunny and Stella are stars — just two of the many social media dogs who seem to talk.

Using floor sound button kits, owners can train their dogs to tell them what they want with words. The dogs select talking buttons on floor mats to say they want to play, eat or go out.

Stella the dog in San Diego taps Stella, Stella, Stella, Walk, OK. And then Stella walks to the door and scratches. That seems pretty obvious.

The question is whether the dog actually connected the sound to the meaning of words. A behavior (hitting the play button) has a result (she goes for a walk). Researchers in Neuroscience News points out that rats can be taught to hit the right lever for rewards.

Dog soundboards are an idea that flips the script on dog ownership. Whereas in the past, owners were supposed to learn dog language, these dogs are supposed to learn human language.

It is weirdly compelling. Not only do the dogs seem to say what they want, they also seem to ask existential questions.

“Dog. What dog?” taps out Bunny, a sheepadoodle owned by artist Alexis Devine of Tacoma, Wash. Devine takes this to mean that the Bunny wants to know the very nature of dogs, maybe in comparison to humans. But it is also possible that Bunny is pressing buttons to get a reaction.

Whatever the truth may be, these talking dog videos reveal the immense amount of time people put into their button projects. Some dogs look a little tense with the demands to press buttons.

Other dogs look bored. Some look confident.

No authoritative scientific studies have verified whether dogs understand language, and it’s impossible to know if they even want to learn more. They’ve been around humans for 30,000 years, after all. They already know a thing or two.

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Ducks make adorable pets. Their characteristic gait and cheerful quacking are irresistible. However, they have unique care requirements. Here’s what you need to know before adopting a pet duck.

Distressing trends
Recently, it was trendy to take funny videos of ducklings and post them on social media. However, once the buzz was over, many owners couldn’t care for their ducks and abandoned them or put them up for sale.

This unfortunate situation is comparable to giving a puppy or kitten to a child as a Christmas or birthday gift. Many people regret this decision once the baby animal grows up and requires a lot of care and attention.

Winning conditions
If you’re serious about adopting a pet duck, you must ensure you can meet its needs. Here’s what you need to do for your duck:

• Reserve a large portion of land where it can roam freely
• Provide it with a comfortable shelter
• Give it access to an aquatic space like a pond so it can swim
• Provide it with a healthy and varied omnivore diet
• Keep its environment clean by regularly removing excrement from the ground and making sure the water it drinks and bathes in is clean
• Take it to the vet at the first sign of illness

Do you want your duck to live a long and healthy life? Visit your local farm supply store to get the equipment you need.

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If it could talk, your guinea pig could teach you some amazing things.

Even though we live under the same roof, there are probably some things about my species you don’t know. For example, did you know that I’m a strict herbivore and must eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day? But be careful not to feed me the same thing all the time, and don’t feed me just anything. Learn which ones best suit me, and then surprise my taste buds.

Something else you should know is that I don’t sleep as much as you think. According to experts, I only sleep an average of four hours a day in total. Although you may see me lying down, that doesn’t mean I’m asleep. When I’m awake, I like to be active, so I need a large cage and plenty of outings.

While we’re on the subject, don’t take me for walks on a leash or harness. These items aren’t suitable for my body type and could make me panic and hurt myself. The same applies if you give me an exercise wheel or a ball designed for a hamster; using them could hurt my back.

Unlike my name implies, I’m not related to pigs and don’t hail from Guinea. There are many theories as to how I got my name. For example, guinea pigs were likely brought to Europe by Spanish explorers in the 1500s. Around this time, the word guinea was often used to describe things that came from across the sea.

Thank you for giving me everything I need, including your affection.

Doudou XX

Squeak Squeak
(that’s the sound I make to get your attention)!

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Distemper is a potentially lethal virus that attacks dogs and other domestic animals like cats and ferrets. It can also affect wild animals like raccoons. If you have a dog or want to adopt one in the future, you should know about distemper.

Transmission
Distemper is a highly contagious disease. It can be transmitted through respiratory droplets expelled from the nose and mouth by coughing and sneezing. It can also spread through contact with eye secretions.

Symptoms
The symptoms of distemper vary from animal to animal because the virus targets both the nervous and respiratory systems. If your pet is infected, it could exhibit some of the following symptoms:

• Aggression
• Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
• Pacing
• Diarrhea
• Nasal discharge
• Rash
• Fever
• Lethargy
• Loss of appetite
• Excessive salivation
• Spasms or convulsions
• Coughing
• Vomiting

Many infected dogs don’t exhibit any symptoms but are still contagious.

Treatment
Unfortunately, there’s no antiviral cure for distemper. However, your veterinarian may prescribe antibiotics, anticonvulsants, or intravenous fluids to treat your pet’s symptoms.

Prevention
Veterinarians recommend all dogs should be vaccinated against distemper. The sad truth is that many unvaccinated dogs needlessly die from the infection or develop serious and irreversible side effects.

You can protect your faithful companion by following the advice of your veterinarian.

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You often see cats drinking milk in books and movies. A child rescues a hungry cat and gives it a saucer of milk, and the cat laps it up with pleasure. But is this the right thing to do? According to the experts, the answer is no. Here are a few reasons why.

Essential enzyme
Kittens can digest their mother’s milk because they’re born with a specific enzyme that allows them to break down lactose, a form of sugar, efficiently. However, as they get older, most cats lose this enzyme and can no longer properly digest milk.

Various health problems
If an adult cat eats high-quality food and gets plenty of freshwater, it doesn’t need to drink milk. Drinking this fat-rich substance can trigger a variety of ailments, including obesity and diarrhea. Milk is especially harmful if your furry friend is allergic to milk proteins or can’t properly digest lactose.

In short, if you feed cow’s milk to your adult cat, it may enjoy it at first but will suffer digestive issues and other health problems later. Consult your vet to determine what’s safe to feed your cat.

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